Lark Crafts

Abby Haffelt

Life started for me on a horse farm in southeastern Ohio. My schoolteacher mother strictly enforced the law of proper grammar, as well as the “write your feelings” philosophy, at which I then scoffed but now relish. With writing being my best academic talent, I entered college as a journalism major and completed my Bachelor of Arts in 2004 from Marshall University in West Virginia. West Virginia remains a state near and dear to my heart whose beauty, in my opinion, is the best kept secret in America. After two lovely years spent on the snowy peaks of Colorado, I ventured back east and somehow landed in the Carolinas, finally deciding on Asheville, North Carolina as home. Lark is THE dream job that I have been working toward, at least as my aspirations to be a super famous rock star have slowly faded. I am so happy and lucky to have found a place in life that is perfect for me.

Amanda Carestio

Although I’ve been a serial crafter all my life, my latest obsessions are stitching projects, linoleum block prints, and costume-oriented crafting pursuits (especially zombies and pirates). I love where I live (I’ve moved here twice!), and I try to explore this magical place on a regular basis with my hubby and my very own brindle squad (a dynamic duo of sweet, yet horribly spoiled canines). For the past year, I’ve been dealing with a serious Flickr addiction and a compulsion toward an inordinate amount of online swaps, bees, and groups (go, Modern Quilt Guild!); maybe you know the feeling? For a fine mix of crafty stuff, pictures of my aforementioned no-good dogs, and info on hiking adventures, I also post at digsandbean.blogspot.com.

Beth Sweet

After winning 1st Place in a Crayola competition at the tender age of 6, I abandoned all visions of becoming a firefighter or Jane Goodall apprentice and devoted myself to a life of creativity. This wasn’t as difficult a life decision as you may think—creativity is a rather all-encompassing term, and most people devote themselves to it in one way or another. This shared devotee-ism is like an invite to a huge interconnected web of kindred spirits and loving friends—people I seem to meet everywhere I live, and who make my present life in Asheville oh so lovely.

Carol Barnao

I grew up in balmy Columbia, S.C., so I feel most comfortable when it’s 80+ degrees out. I spend most of my free time rollerblading, running, or mountain biking at the trails and try to find time to paint in my little outdoor studio. Craftwise, I just did a whole lot of DIY (invites, flowers, veil, etc.) for my recent wedding.

Chris Bryant

I love food and design, in that order. I like to move pictures and objects around to make interesting arrangements, whether on paper or in real space. Luckily, that’s my job. The best things I get to do at Lark is style food for photo shoots and add food related posts to this site. I collect letters—BIG letters from signs. Lighted ones are best. Kids think my house is interesting. I’m an excellent cook, and not modest about it. Clearly. The perfect Saturday starts gathering a basketful of abundance from the tailgate and ends with a meal of those ingredients. My cultural homepage is Satie & Debussy, M.F.K. Fisher, and Hockney. I like almost any music and I’m drawn to songs in languages I don’t speak—like Khmer and French. My partner and I are really good at traveling. We’ve been doing it for over 25 years! I read a lot of books about food and escape in fiction set in Asia or the south.

Gavin Young

I’m Lark’s associate managing editor, a new mom to little Beckett, and (because I’d be completely lost otherwise) a list person. Discuss eBooks and eProjects. Road bond? Update the Lark handbook. Fried okra. Transfer car seat into Mom’s car. Review lasers by Tuesday. Make pillowcase. Find new daycare. Reread Ondaatje. Print book schedules (again). Camping in Maine? Finish Beck’s scrapbook. Call new freelancer. Be more giving. Meet with craft teams. Droid? Forward two book proposals. Schedule zip lining. And my list often reflects who I want to be, not who I am.

Julie Hale

I grew up in the Asheville area but have lived in various places over the years, including Nashville, Tennessee, and Austin, Texas, where I had editing jobs. At heart, I’m a bookworm—an old-school English-major type. I thrive on sunshine, strong coffee, and 6-mile runs. Just moved to west Asheville, where I live with my dog, Howdy, in an apartment that’s a bit like a library. It’s filled with my collection of books—about 900 volumes.

Kathleen McCafferty

I’m a creative writer, a crafty dabbler, and a wannabe skater. Ira G, my three-year-old terrier mix is my trusty assistant. Asheville is my Emerald City; Lark, my yellow brick road. Home is where my homies are, and I’m lucky to have the best friends a girl could want. I like to nap, craft, eat chocolate covered peanuts, buy art, take walks, and read books.

Kathy

I grew up crafting in Indiana. From the fiber arts world of sewing, quilting, and weaving, I found my way into the clay studio and then to the graphic arts arena. During my years at Lark, I’ve been in the fortunate position of not only documenting artists at work, but being inspired by them, too.

Kristi Pfeffer

I graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in graphic design. I have been working professionally for over 15 years, ever since the old days when printers would “strip” film plates—my first job was as an apprentice film stripper. I live in Asheville with my Momma just around the corner and the best roommate ever: my dog, Laika (although I wish she could fetch the laundry). My interests include going to school to study environmental management and policy; figuring out ways to create artwork that is zero-waste and uses nontoxic, repurposed materials; reading books on astronomy, quantum physics, environmental issues and mystical Judaism; staring at pictures of the Large Hadron Collider; and daydreaming about going to Geneva, Switzerland to listen to the hum of scientists searching for the Higgs boson.

Lance Wille

Born in Iowa, the son of a farmer, I left home at the age of sixteen. Swept away, like my classmates, by a dustbowl of poor agricultural legislation, coupled with my Holly Golightly sense of precocious wanderlust, I landed in Chicago and began my long association with printing and publishing, manning the business end of a photostat camera by day, banging on trash cans by night. Twenty-some years later I’m still making a lot of racket, wandering the earth in search of lost colonies when I can, and pondering my own mortality. My partner in adventure these days is the charming and beautiful Suzie Millions, internationally renowned artist (and Lark contributor) who taught me to love soul music, folk art, and crawdads, just to barely scratch the surface.

linda

I’m a big city transplant from the flatlands of Texas and get energy from the great outdoors: gardening, hiking, and just sitting on the back deck taking in the mountains. That’s in the summer. In the winter I’m never far from a heat source and pass the months looking at the weather forecast, reading, watching foreign language movies, and planning the next vacation. I have an eclectic attention span when it comes to crafts, futzing around with one until another captures my interest—many times inspired by a book I’m working on.

Marthe Le Van

Born on the bayou. Raised on étouffée and voodoo. Did some time in the Big Apple (shout out to Sarah Lawrence College). Found my home halfway in between. Married my best friend. All of my jobs have been artful nouns: producer, curator, editor. I am a maker. I made television. I made exhibits. And for nearly 10 years, I’ve made books for people with creative needs: to learn, to craft, to study, to see. In the course of this, I’ve fallen in love with other makers—jewelers and metalsmiths to be precise. Their process, imagination, and innovation never cease to amaze and inspire me.

Meagan Shirlen

I’m quite pleased to be working as a designer for the awesome Needlearts Team here at Lark Crafts. I hold a B.S. in biology and Master of Arts in Teaching from UNC Chapel Hill, as well as a two-year Post-Baccalaureate Certificate of Major in Multimedia Arts and Sciences from UNC Asheville. A reasonable person might ask, “What led you down such a twisted path of studies?” I suppose the simplest answer is that I’m unreasonable. I have a hankering to live a life I love doing creative work with wonderful people. It seems to be working out splendidly so far! Outside of work, I love spending time with dear friends, taking photographs, surfing the net for interesting information of questionable accuracy, reading, hiking, playing video games, visiting local festivals, encouraging others in their heartfelt endeavors, guessing Myers-Briggs personality types, combining diverse ideas into a workable mishmash of personal life philosophy, exploring back roads, bopping around to music of all kinds, having lucid dreams, and pondering the nature of consciousness. My crafts are photography and the digital arts, but I did start knitting a washcloth several years ago. It’s really more of a long towel than a washcloth at this point. My future goals include learning how to bind-off.

megan

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a late, great industrial city, and I expect that anyone else who’s done so will know exactly what I’m talking about. To this day, I find industrial landscapes incredibly beautiful…even though I now know that those towers spewing fire and blowing out puffy white clouds are probably better loved in memory only. My love of city life led me to the biggest city of them all, where I was fortunate enough to stumble into publishing. One thing led to another and now I find myself agonizing over font choices and trim sizes in one of the most beautiful small cities I know.. Asheville, NC.

Nathalie Mornu

Everyone agrees I make a mean quiche. People consistently seem to think I’m athletic and health-conscious, when in reality I’m neither. I despise the taste of fish. The weirdest thing I’ve eaten—to the American palette, at least—is kangaroo (delish!). Morocco and Vietnam top my list of place I’d like to visit. I adore roller coasters, but I’m always terrified before my first trip down one—just the anticipation of that heart-stopping pull up the first hill, chains clanking away in a sickening fashion—I’m trapped! Why did I choose to go on this ride!?! The cars will jump the track and I’ll be turned to burger!—makes my knees go weak. I think dozing off in bed with a book on a rainy afternoon is about the most pleasant activity there is.

Nicole McConville

I’m an accordion-wielding, assemblage-making, music-obsessed, gardener-in-training, green-renovating, avidly-reading introvert. I live in a 90-year old, renovated bank building with my ecological cosmographer husband and our extraordinary circus dog companion. I’ve had about a dozen different jobs at Lark over the years but feel right at home leading the Craft Your Life team, happily donning my big-picture ringleader hat.

Paige Gilchrist

Full disclosure: as editorial director of Lark Crafts (and interim lead of the needle arts team), I spend more time meeting about, emailing about, reviewing photography and projects and book layouts about, reading about, talking about, and writing about crafts than I do actually crafting, but I’ve decided it’s still a pretty good gig. And as the busy mother (redundant) of a five-year-old, I currently carve out most of my creativity in the small and ordinary pockets of life—planning a dinner party, wrapping a present, training moonflowers up the porch railings, packing a lunch with heart-shaped punch-out sandwiches. Wow, as I write that it occurs to me—what a gift to have those kinds of activities filling my everyday pockets. And to be finding creative expression in them on top of it? Huge and luxurious bonus.

Ray Hemachandra

I’m New York born and raised. I made my way to Asheville, N.C., via D.C. for four years, Chicago for six, and Bellingham (a beautiful little city in Washington state) for twelve. I’ve moved through different media channels—newspapers, magazines, and now books—in my career as a publishing professional and enjoyed them all, even as they’ve had different needs and rhythms. And, while I type, book publishing is transforming. Really, it’s now content delivery via books and other varied channels, especially digital ones. (“Book publishing” is still shorter to type, though.) I came to Lark in January 2007 as a senior editor, and now as Lark's Jewelry/Beading Content Team Leader I have the wonderful opportunity to lead an outstanding six-person group of committed, fun professionals, as we all engage and support these amazing communities of crafters and artists.

Shannon Yokeley

So about me. Hmmmm… I’m short, have brown hair and eyes, and I wear blue jeans 99% of the time. I’m obsessed with devil duckies and weird toys, and my office is covered with the results of my collecting. I love summer, and will frequent all the local yard sales and flea markets to find that next strange object. In the winter I hibernate, as the cold and I don’t get along. I’m a Dr. Pepper fanatic and love burgers and fries, though I’ve opened up my taste buds to all kinds of foods since moving to Asheville (though I still won’t eat sushi).

Thom O'Hearn

I learned to drive and vote in Florida (I swear I can do both) and I moved to Brooklyn a month after graduating from college. I got my start in publishing at Random House, where I learned everything about books and also how to eat a cafeteria lunch for $3 or less. I was a proud member of the Park Slope Food Coop--I'm still looking for a place in Asheville where I can help stock yogurt and meat. Like the rest of the Lark folks, I enjoy making things: My big three are pottery, books, and beer.

Todd Kaderabek

As Lark’s Senior Production Manager, I juggle the flow of information between Lark’s internal departments and our book manufacturers. When I’m not herding those cats, I concentrate on solutions to malnutrition in Haiti.

Travis Medford

I am a designer, screenprinter, radio DJ and father of twin boys. Needless to say, free time is hard to come by, but when it does you will find me sharing chocolate with my lovely wife, drawing, sidewalk surfing or in a record shop. Inspirations are (in no particular order): coffee, found type, old records, my kids trying to say big words, vintage kid’s food packaging, hand-drawn type, screenprinted posters, and anything Halloween or Monster related.

Valerie Shrader

I love birds. And flowers. But since one biology class was enough for me, I decided to write and edit. I graduated from high school the year after the Watergate hearings, so journalism was a sexy career choice. I made my way to books after wandering through a newsroom, an advertising publication, and a nonprofit organization. Because once upon a time I was one of those industrious hippie chicks who did all sorts of crafty stuff (made clothes, embroidered blouses, patched jeans, even made macrame plant hangers!), Lark is where writing, editing, and making things all came together for me.

Vickie Howell

Vickie Howell is a mother, self-taught designer, writer, spokesperson, viral marketing consultant, and DIY Lifestyles expert with a focus on needlearts and environmentally conscious crafting. She is best known as the host and creative consultant of eight seasons of the DIY Network’s HGTV show, Knitty Gritty. She was also the co-host of DIY’s Stylelicious; Lifetime Television’s web series, CRAFTED; and several craft-based TV specials. Vickie is the author of six craft-based books (including Craft Corps: Celebrating the Creative Community One Story at a Time www.craftcorps.org), a columnist for PBS Parents' Craft Apparent with Vickie Howell, and the celebrity spokesperson for Caron International. For more about Vickie, her patterns, and her projects, go to: www.vickiehowell.com.